On The Radar 13 – It’s All About the Exposure For Local Athletes

Whether you are a senior and your high school career is coming to an end – or an underclassmen, who still has time to turn heads – missing any kind of exposure can come back and haunt you.

With the off-season events right around the corner, getting exposure is paramount, and as we do each year – with nearly a half century of experience behind us – we try to steer you away from events that promise the world, but only get their checking accounts fatter.

The only thing you can do when judging combines and camps that come in this area is to see what they do to help these athletes year round. If they come into your town and claim to help you for a cost, what are they doing the rest of the year to help gain exposure? There are far too many of those coming into South Florida, and frankly, local high school coaches get sucked into their game – quickly.

South Florida is a target for everyone who wants to claim they can help you get a scholarship. The true answer to that is NOBODY can help you get a college scholarship, but you – the athlete.

Understand that when combines or events are held, they must bring with them a way for every player who attends to get some kind of promotion – and if you really want the facts, NONE of them do that. If you don’t have any kind of star ranking behind you, the exposure you receive has to be on your own, and please do not listen to anyone who attempts to tell you otherwise.

What the athlete deserves at any event they attend is exposure and promotion. If the athlete has a game film, that needs to be sent out with the promotion. That way, if a college has any interest, they can see the athlete first hand from the tape, and then proceed with the recruitment.

As people who have gone through the experience will tell you, do not attend things that don’t have a proven track record. Do your research and see if what they do is a year-round commitment. If they wake up in January and work until April – and then shut things down for the year – how much can they be helping? The answer is not at all.

The reason we have always taken an interest in what events actually help these youngsters is that we are always the ones who get the late February phone calls, texts or other messages from coaches, parents and the players, telling us how they were promised scholarships if they attend this or that combine.

The one thing that is always surprising is how parents and coaches ignore the advice, only to acknowledge it later.

You are certainly mature enough to make up your own mind, and while we can only tell you from our experiences – which events are worth the effort and money to attend – and which ones are not – we cannot make you understand this crazy business.

What we do over the course of a year is to give every football prospect in talent-rich Miami-Dade and Broward Counties exposure every week – 52 times a year – with over 350 football players grabbing the spotlight. Here are six more to check out:

2018 – Kerondo Gobern, CB, 6-0, 175, Coconut Creek. Here is a talented football player that we watched during two off-seasons as well as two full years with the Cougars. A very talented football player, he has an opportunity, at the next level, to really come of age. Gobern has had the opportunity to compete against some solid athletes.

2019 – Khwan Mickens, DB, 5-11, 170, Pembroke Pines West Broward. There were an amazing amount of athletes that head coach Monte Dilworth and his staff had to work with this year, and this junior was someone who showed that when these district champions take the field in 2018, they will once again be very special. Was a huge part of this quality defensive secondaries that left a mark this season.

2019 – Cornelius Nunn, Jr., S, 5-11, 175, Miami Palmetto. Easily one of the top defensive backs this season during a banner year for the Panthers – as they turned the corner and advanced to the first round of the playoffs under Mike Manasco. Already established himself as a prospect who will be on the best in South Florida this coming season. Quality athlete.

2018 – Darren Sanchez, OL, 6-3, 288, Hialeah Gardens Mater Academy. This three-year starter really progressed this year – under a new coaching staff – and showed why he was one of the under-the-radar big men, who brought plenty to the table. A very agile and talented football player who will also make a big impact at the next level.

2019 – Emanuel Villatoro, DL, 6-0, 230, Fort Lauderdale. On a team that continues to improve and add prospects every year, here is a junior that really impressed this season – as head coach Richard Dunbar and his staff put together a competitive team that had a very challenging schedule. With a year left, the offseason will certainly be a very important time for Villatoro, who jumps onto the radar.

2019 – Leroy Wilson, WR/CB, 6-1, 180, North Miami Beach. The one thing about head coach Jeff Bertani’s Chargers is that every year, there are quality two-way athletes who not only get it done at the high school level, but also make it to college, and then on to the next level. This is a gifted junior who has the chance to watch his career takeoff this coming off-season. Quality athlete who is very talented and has a chance to watch his stock rise.

Catch the South Florida High Sports Radio Show each Monday night (9-10) on WQAM (560AM). For the past 10 years, the players and coaches who are making the headlines, join the program. You will learn a lot!

Larry BlusteinLarry Blustein is a senior writer for SFHSSports. With over 40 years experience in the South Florida sports media, he has seen and written about it...More fromLarry Blustein